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Hurdy-Gurdy Hare
Hurdy-Gurdy Hare is a Merrie Melodies cartoon short, released in 1950, which is directed by Robert McKimson and written by Warren Foster. Bugs has to deal with an aggressive gorilla, while trying to make some money playing a street organ. Plot While Bugs is sitting in Central Park, he looks through the wanted ads, finally focusing on a job as a Hurdy-Gurdy (actually, a street organ), thinking at first of "the masters - Beethoven, Brahms, Bach" (pronounced by Bugs as "Beat-hoven," "Brammz," and "Batch"), but soon thinking of all the money his chimpanzee assistant was able to get from the various apartments he visited. When the chimp tries to stiff Bugs, Bugs chases him off ("Ya' can't trust no one!", he sneers), suddenly thinking he can do the same job as the chimp - but quickly finds out that people willing to give a chimp money aren't willing to give Bugs anything (except a bucket of water on the head). The chimp runs to the zoo, where he tells a gorilla about what happened (the only intelligible words being Bugs' line "What's up doc? What's up doc?"). The chimp dramatizes being kicked by Bugs, which sends the gorilla in a frenzy. The gorilla breaks out of his cage, and confronts Bugs. Bugs is able to outwit the gorilla, causing the gorilla to fall multiple times many stories from the apartment building where he's chasing Bugs. At one point, the gorilla falls through the basement and comes up a lift, holding a newspaper and with his arm through a subway window. Bugs, acting as a conductor, orders the gorilla to "push in, plenty of room in the center of the car!", pausing to tell the audience "I used to work on the shuttle from Times Square to Grand Central", before pushing the gorilla back underground. Then, aping Ralph Edwards' famous declaration on Truth or Consequence, he says to the audience, "Ain't I a devil??". Bugs then tries getting away from the gorilla on the outside of the building by climbing up and down a ladder while the gorilla keeps pulling the ladder in the opposite direction (once using the Groucho Marx line, "I've seen you before, I never forget a face. But in your case, I'll make an exception!"). Bugs eventually makes his way into one of the apartments. However, he's soon cornered by the gorilla, who chases him into a back room. Bugs spots a violin, and noting that "music calms the savage beast", he starts playing the violin (about as well as Jack Benny might sound), which causes the gorilla not only to calm down, but to start dancing around. This gives Bugs an idea - he has the gorilla visiting the apartments, causing piles of cash to rain down on Bugs (the chimpanzee from earlier is turning the wheel, playing the music, which is recognizable as "Artist's Life."). Bugs counts all the money coming, noting to the audience, "I sure hope Petrillo doesn't hear about this!" (a then-topical gag referencing the president of the American Federation of Musicians, which was on strike in 1948 when the short was copyrighted). Gallery 'Lobby Cards' 'Screencaps' Availability *DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4, Disc 1 (Blue Ribbon reissue) Trivia External Links *Hurdy-Gurdy Hare at SuperCartoons.net *Hurdy-Gurdy Hare at B99.TV Category:Merrie Melodies Category:Merrie Melodies shorts Category:Blue Ribbon Category:Blue Ribbon shorts Category:Bugs Bunny Category:Bugs Bunny shorts Category:Gruesome Gorilla Category:Gruesome Gorilla shorts Category:Bugs and Gruesome Gorilla shorts Category:Directed by Robert McKimson Category:Cartoons directed by Robert McKimson Category:Story by Warren Foster Category:Written by Warren Foster Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster Category:Animated by Emery Hawkins Category:Animation by Emery Hawkins Category:Cartoons animated by Emery Hawkins Category:Animated by Charles McKimson Category:Animation by Charles McKimson Category:Cartoons animated by Charles McKimson Category:Animated by John Carey Category:Cartoons animated by John Carey Category:Animation by John Carey Category:Animation by Phil DeLara Category:Animated by Phil DeLara Category:Cartoons animated by Phil DeLara Category:Layouts by Cornett Wood Category:Backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas Category:Cartoon layouts by Cornett Wood Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas Category:Film Editing by Treg Brown Category:Cartoons with sound effects by Treg Brown Category:Voiced by Mel Blanc Category:Voice Characterizations by Mel Blanc Category:Voices by Mel Blanc Category:Cartoons with voices by Mel Blanc Category:Vocal Effects by Mel Blanc Category:Music by Carl Stalling Category:Musical Direction by Carl Stalling Category:Cartoons with music by Carl Stalling Category:1950s Category:1950s films Category:1950s shorts Category:1950 shorts Category:1950 films Category:1950 Category:Looney Tunes Category:Looney Tunes shorts Category:Vitaphone short films Category:Animated shorts Category:Shorts Category:Warner Bros. shorts Category:Warner Bros. Cartoons Category:Warner Bros. Animation Category:Produced by Eddie Selzer Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer